Appalachia BBQ started out with a single location on the Queensway, and opened this second one on Lake Shore Boulevard. They only serve Ontario-raised, hormone- and steroid-free meat, and they smoke everything in house and make all their sauces and sides on location, too.

The interior is just large enough that the family in the corner has some privacy but small enough that their cute kid can make her rounds running to visit all the tables.

We get a greasy full three-pound rack of ribs ($25), and let me tell you, it’s all about the sauce here. You’re definitely going to need a napkin plan. Although the ribs are pretty well layered in sauce, you can easily tell that they only use baby back ribs, a favourite in Southern-style barbecue.

Next up is the smoked brisket sandwich ($12), one of the best things I sampled. Whole briskets go out on order regularly, and the sandwich comes with its own special sauce made with horseradish, maple syrup and fancy molasses. The result is a smoky, sweet sandwich you can sink your teeth into.

The fried chicken southern gravy ($10) is also all about the sauce and comes with a mound of fries to sop it up. The gravy is good enough that I wish there was more of it so I could get some on every fry and every bite of chicken, which is great with a little help from the sauce’s moisture.

Beans ($4) are made in house by soaking for twenty-four hours and then braising with 10 with tomatoes and all-spice. I’m super down with their mac ($6), which like all good macs uses a real house cheese sauce made with smoked cheddar, old cheddar and Worcestershire.

The pulled pork sammy puts up a good fight against the brisket, dripping with Appalachia’s homemade Carolina honey mustard mild sauce. If you like what you’re tasting, they also sell jars of their sauces for $10.

You can see the chalkboard menus from pretty much every angle. Seating is limited to a few tables and chairs and obligatory rustic bar seating, and much of the place is outfitted in unfussy wood and metal. It's your food that you'll be paying the most attention to here.